Art and Writing - Opposites?

I am teaching writing classes for college students. There are many things that perplex me about teaching, but I have to say that one of the most interesting has been the questions people ask me about my degree.

I'm not teaching higher-level courses. I only have my bachelor's degree at this point.  I graduated from the school where I teach, so most of my colleagues and acquaintances know my level of education. I should explain that this is my first year, so I get a lot of the "what are you up to now?" questions. I teach writing. The most popular follow-up question is, "Oh, were you an English major?" And actually, it's often a statement, as in, "Oh, so you were an English major." My reply of, "I was actually a studio art major," rarely fails to confuse the person speaking with me. It's usually given away by a slight turn of the head along with a slightly gaping mouth, as if they want to say something, but are stuck. (My statement was just too shocking!) And then there is the crinkling of the forehead as the eyebrows get closer together.

One of my students seemed especially perplexed. On the first day we all went around the table doing introductions - the kind where the first person introduces him or herself, then the second person introduces him or herself plus the first person, building on this until the last person introduces his or herself and everyone else in the room. I had them introduce themselves with their name, their major, and one of their favorite books. I played too and told them that when I was in college I was a studio art major. We then went on to talk about the syllabus, etc. - just normal first day of class things. At the end when I asked if anyone had questions about anything, this particular student asked me how I could go from being a studio art major to being a writing teacher. I am not sure if he was questioning my credibility or wondering how he, a graphic design major, might also be able to become a good writer.

Why is there this assumption about art majors? Why do so many people think that art majors can't excel at academics? I have now met many art majors who think that they are incapable of writing well. But writing IS art. Is it just that they have been given boring assignments? Have they tried and failed and then given up? Is it something in their education? How did I turn out with a love of words while so many of my peers apparently decided that they were incapable?

I took an art class during my senior year in which we had to do a fair amount of writing. Our instructor had us read some excerpts from the book A Short Guide to Writing About Art, which at the time I thought was ridiculous. We read sections that defined "thesis statement" in very simple terms. I thought, "really? Every senior in college should know this already." At the time I thought my instructor must think that either we were all idiots or she must really be out of touch with college-level work. Surely we were all capable of writing a thesis statement and there was no need to insult us with these reading assignments.

I am sorry to report that now I get it and I am in fact using the very same little book to teach a group of art majors (all seniors) how to write a research paper. The gods are funny like that.

I feel that there are a few possible reasons for my students feeling the way they do about writing, especially research writing.
1. They have adapted a narrow, stereotypical identity of artists that includes being poor at writing. (Were they taught this?)
2. They are actually just really lazy and/or are not interested in exploring ideas (good luck in the art world, kids).
3. They have been told that they are bad writers and have accepted this as truth.
4. They believe the myth that writing comes to people naturally, but do believe that people can learn to draw.

All of these things are terrible. As educators, I'm pretty sure that we can do something about 1, 3, and 4, and maybe even 2, but how?

Art and writing go together. How on earth could they be incompatible? Good art explores ideas, and good writing explores ideas. What needs to change in art education to encourage students to explore ideas through writing? I actually wonder if there is sometimes a problem of too little emphasis on ideas and conceptual concerns in fine art programs. Although I felt that there was, at times, an over-emphasis on concept at KCAI, I found myself missing that after I transferred.

Is there a way to make the visual arts more academically rigorous so that they gain the respect they deserve (art is hard!)? Is that even the right way to go? How do we debunk the myths and stereotypes about art and writing and give students a more accurate, honest view of what it means to be an artist? I guess the biggest question is: How do we get our students to think?

Erica's Tiny House

Watch my new tiny live/work space come together. I'm going to use 300 square feet for cooking, baking, relaxing, sleeping, entertaining, work, and art. Check out some photos of the house and read about my money and space-saving discoveries.  http://ericapopp.wordpress.com/

You May Have Noticed...

That I played with the new blogger design template thing and screwed up the layout of my blog. Hopefully I can get it back in shape soon.

Adjusting to yet another new studio space

I just watched the second episode of Project Runway. (I watch them later online because I don’t have cable.) and then I wanted more so I watched some of the designers’ casting calls and home visits (Peach has terrible taste in those as well). Some of the designers have really nice big spaces that are just for working, some have very little space for their designs, and others, like Ivy, prioritize their homes to accommodate their work.

For the last few years I’ve been struggling with space and lack of permanency. In my last two years of college I moved every 10 weeks because that’s just how they do things at Principia. As an intern last year I didn’t feel any sense of ownership over my dorm space even though I was able to stay in it throughout the whole school year.

Now I have a full-time job and am excited to be moving into a space that I know I can stay in for more than nine months. But boy is it small! It’s also oddly laid out. Despite the space issue (300 square feet!), I am hoping to get a lot of work done in my new home. So let me tell you what I’m thinking.

While it’s not ideal to have a clay studio/bedroom, there isn’t anywhere else for the pottery wheel to go. It just has to go there. Any painting will probably need to happen there too.  There just isn’t any space for an easel in the kitchen/living room/dining room/framing room/office.  Well, maybe the little tabletop easel could make guest appearances.

There’s a great table in my house. It’s actually a part of the house. Yes, it’s built right into the wall. It’s going to serve the purposes of desk, kitchen island, and work table. I might sit there for meals too. I think that the way this happens will be a fun thing to figure out.

I’m going to have to set some tidiness ground rules. You know that saying, “A place for everything and everything in its place”? Well, I can be really great at the “everything in its place” part, but I have to first get everything a home.  That is the trick. I’ll keep you updated and will post photos. Just an eye out. I'll update the Erica's Tiny House blog as often as I can with ideas for utilizing small spaces without remodeling.

My tiny space pre-move-in. The chairs and curtains came with the apartment.

More Blogs

So, I've noticed that my blog is big hodge-podge of information. It's starting to feel as cluttered and unfocused as the rest of my life.

So, in order to pull out some important things, I've created two blogs on wordpress that will be much more focused. Keep reading here and in addition to the weirdness that I already post, I'll let you know when I update the new blogs. Or, this might help you read about just the things you want to read about.

WCA Mentors wcamentors.wordpress.com
This blog is all about, you guessed it, my mentor program! This is brand new so there's not a lot of info there yet, but soon you will be able to read all about the program, the inspiration for it, how Dail and I are thinking about it, and what steps we're taking to turn our plans into actions.

Erica's Tiny House ericapopp.wordpress.com
I am moving in to a tiny little house and am going to be photo-narrating about turning 295 square feet of awkwardness into a beautiful and functional life/work space with pretty much no money.

Pottery for Sale on Etsy!

I told you about my Etsy store. I want to make sure that you know it's not all vintage jewelry; I am including original pottery pieces too! They are going up slowly. After I can afford to fire some of my new creations I will post those for sale as well.

Here's a link to my online pottery shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/VintagePopp?section_id=6932203

Erica Popp - Pink Earthenware Jar - 2006

New Projects!

So, I haven't posted for a while. I've been busy with work, my Etsy store, and playing facebook Scrabble with my future sister-in-law. Oh, and looking for a new apartment. YAY! I'm looking forward to moving soon and setting up some studio space that I'll spend more time in. Not having an hour-long commute everyday should give me more time to make art!

I'm looking forward to starting some print-making projects. For Christmas I received a really awesome print-making book and I want to finally start some of the projects.

I especially want to decorate some furniture for my apartment with the very clever contact-paper reverse stencil method. I think it's going to be fun.